


Can I lay by your side (next to you)

by otaku_trash



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arranged Marriage, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, Some Humor, except not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 21:47:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13373700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otaku_trash/pseuds/otaku_trash
Summary: "I love you," Tetsurou mumbles into Kenma's neck. Kenma huffs against him."You can't. You--shouldn't," Kenma insists, but he sighs and relaxes into Tetsurou's embrace."I know. Trust me, I know. But I--but I do."--in which prince kenma and general kuroo fall in love.





	Can I lay by your side (next to you)

**Author's Note:**

> when i first saved this something went wrong and the entire story was deleted so yikes :)) 
> 
> title is from lay me down by sam smith

Kenma is twenty-five when his father finally confronts him.

"You have not yet taken a lover," he observes. Kenma shifts uncomfortably in his sokutai. This is not a conversation he has ever wanted to have.

"I am aware, father."

"You should be more like a normal young man."

"I would prefer not to take a lover, father."

"And I am sure you wouldn't," he hums. Then, he leans in very close to Kenma. 

"The purer your soul is, the more the court officials want to corrupt and use you." 

Kenma shivers.

"If it is not for yourself and your own pleasure, do this for your father."

Kenma nods, numb and unfeeling. He bows to his father, brushes away some invisible creases on his clothing, and leaves the room.

 

Kenma spends the next few days contemplating his father's words. He remains holed up in his own room, laying on his tatami for most of the time and occasionally accepting meals from servants who come by.

One day, a voice interrupts his thoughts.

"May I come in?"

Kenma rolls his eyes. "I am not sure, Kuro. It is not as if you are my closest friend."

Kuroo scoffs from outside and slides the door open. "I was only being polite."

"I am almost sure we have been friends long enough to have gotten past that."

"You are a prince, Kenma."

"And you are a general. What is your point?"

Kuroo sighs. "Never mind. I have come to inquire after your health. It seems as though you have been spending a worrying amount of time in your room."

"Does it seem as such, or did you only notice because I have not spent my time in the gardens as of late?"

Kuroo looks at him for a long moment before sighing and letting out a soft breath. "You're so formal, Kenma."

"You started it."

"What a child."

"That's what I also think, but my father says otherwise."

"What did he say?"

"That I must take a lover."

Kuroo chokes on his spit.

"I can't imagine the emperor saying that."

"You don't know him very well," Kenma huffs, and falls backwards onto the tatami again.

Kuroo lays next to him.

"Will you obey your father's words?"

"Perhaps."

"I will protect you from anyone who tries to harm you, should you choose not to listen."

"You cannot protect me from everything just because you're a general."

They lapse into a comfortable silence for a while.

"Well," Kuroo says, "I'm here for you if you need anything else."

"There is a favor that I might ask of you."

"Yes?"

"Be the first to take me," Kenma rushes to say. Kuroo sits upright from the tatami.

"What?"

"Be my lover. I trust you the most, Kuro."

Kuroo's eyes soften. "You can't just... _do_ that."

"Of course I can. I'm a prince."

Kuroo laughs. "Alright. I will visit you again at night."

"Maybe by then I will have changed out of this ridiculous sokutai."

Kenma's room is filled with raucous laughter. Kuroo continues to laugh even as he slides the door open and leaves.

 

Kenma really has changed into a simpler yukata by the time Kuroo visits again. Kuroo has also changed out of his formal clothing.

"Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure," Kenma says.

Kuroo slips the haori off of Kenma's shoulders.

"Are you really sure," he asks again, but it's hardly a question.

"Yes," Kenma replies impatiently.

Kuroo undoes Kenma's obi.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

" _Tetsurou_. Hurry up, please."

Kuroo finally agrees. He is soft and gentle. Kenma feels warm and fuzzy. 

"Are you okay?" Kuroo frets when it is over.

"Yes," Kenma hums. He is half-asleep and not even listening anymore.

Kuroo sighs and holds him tight. Kenma falls asleep in his warm embrace.

 

Kuroo leaves early in the morning, likely to attend to his duties as a general. Kenma slips into a light yukata and hopes no one will ask for him.

As soon as Kenma leaves his room to walk towards the gardens, a servant hurries towards him.

"The emperor requests his youngest son's presence, Your Majesty."

Kenma sighs. So much for a nice walk. 

"Thank you," he says, and dismisses the servant. He arrives at his father's room shortly.

"So," his father says. "You have taken a lover."

"Father,  _please_."

"Congratulations."

Kenma groans. 

"What? It is not as though I spied on you myself. It is merely that a servant--er, multiple servants--heard you in passing."

"I was  _not_ that loud," Kenma snaps before slapping a hand over his mouth.

Kenma's father raises an eyebrow. He looks amused. "If you are admitting to having made some noise, then I am sure it was enjoyable."

Kenma buries his red face in his hands and tries not to scream.

 

When Kenma tells Kuroo the mortifying events with his father, he laughs until he's wheezing.

"So it was good?" is the first thing Kuroo says when he can breathe again.

"Not you too," Kenma whines. 

 

"The news of you finally taking a lover is slowly spreading across the court," Kenma's father says. "It will be good for you to meet your lover again."

"Of course," Kenma says dryly. He leaves, feeling as bland as ever.

"I need you to sleep with me again," he rushes to say when he sees Kuroo again.

"Wow. What a way to greet someone."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be expecting you tonight."

This time, Kenma doesn't bother changing into a simple yukata. He sits on his tatami, unreasonably petty and still in his sokutai.

"Okay then," Kuroo snorts. He goes through the trouble of removing every single layer of the sokutai. 

When they are done, Kenma rests his head on Kuroo's leg.

"I wish I wasn't a prince sometimes. I never have anything to do. It's so boring."

"On the other hand, Kenma, I have way too many duties as a general."

"Perhaps you should let me experience some of it," Kenma murmurs. He falls asleep before he can hear Kuroo's answer.

 

The next morning, Kenma is woken up earlier than usual. He scowls at Kuroo, who grins at him from above.

"What do you want," he says. His words are slurred together, and he almost falls asleep again.

"You said you wanted to experience some of my work as a general, right?"

"Not this early in the morning," Kenma mumbles.

"It's noon, Kenma. I'm meeting with advisors and military officials in less than an hour."

Kenma reluctantly gets up. He pulls on a soft yukata that he will likely fall asleep in later, and they make their way to the other side of the palace.

On the way there, Kenma notices something on his neck in his reflection. He stops at the edge of the water at the garden and looks in.

"...Kuroo."

"Yes?"

"What is this?"

Kuroo doesn't answer.

Kenma sighs. He curses loudly and ignores Kuroo's embarrassed apologies on the way to the meeting.

Kuroo announces Kenma's presence when they arrive at the meeting. Everyone stares at Kenma. He feels uncomfortable.

Kenma sits next to Kuroo at the front of a long table as they discuss potential battle strategies. For fifteen minutes, Kenma listens to people argue over two different ideas. Neither of the ideas are correct.

"This is clearly the best way to approach the opposing fleet," Kenma blurts out. Everyone looks at him again.

Kenma clears his throat. "If you look here--" Kenma points to a small canal on the map. "--you can see that there are not many ships protecting the canal. This is because our enemies tend to have better offense than defense. They believe that, if they attack us from the front, it will distract from the other sides. The canal is the easiest way to infiltrate the enemy from the inside and attack from multiple directions."

Kuroo and his men are stunned into silence.

"I would not have expected that someone who has just made love would have such a clear head," someone says. Kenma scowls. He's still a little angry at Kuroo.

"I cannot imagine what connection there is between me sleeping with someone and having logical ideas for battle. Perhaps you have such little experience with having taken a lover that you cannot fathom the idea of being able to engage in other activities afterwards."

Kuroo vibrates with silent laughter. The officials also show their amusement, although it seems like they do not care if they are loud about it. The man who made the comment sputters with embarrassment.

Kenma makes a dramatic exit and feels satisfied with his accomplishments. That was enough work as a general.

 

Kenma's father continues to tell Kenma to be with his lover. Kenma continues to spend time with Kuroo. 

Being with Kuroo becomes a regular part of Kenma's life. He goes to meetings with Kuroo, and walks with him in the gardens, and discusses political and domestic affairs with him. It is almost the same as usual, except for the fact that he stays with him even in the night.

One day, Kuroo insists on teaching Kenma how to dance.

"Why do I need to know how to dance?" Kenma grumbles.

"It's dancing from the western land. It's more physically close. It's about partnership, and romance, and it's enticing." Kuroo wiggles his eyebrows a little. Kenma huffs a laugh.

"Alright."

Kenma's arms slide around Kuroo's neck, and Kuroo's hands slip onto Kenma's waist. They do some kind of complicated footwork, and Kuroo spins him around. A laugh bubbles out of Kenma. He feels so light, and free, and good. It's refreshing.

Kenma wishes he could stay like this forever.

That's a thought that hits him hard. He thinks about it later, when Kuroo is asleep next to him.

Kenma brushes his fingers over Kuroo's cheek.

"Tetsurou," he whispers to the quiet figure.

Kenma lays down and wills himself to fall asleep.

 

Perhaps Kenma should have known that his feelings were requited.

When he really pays attention, he can see the lingering glances in his direction. He can see the soft gazes that Tetsurou sends his way, and he can feel the warmth traveling from his fingertips to the expanse of Kenma's skin. Kenma stops feeling numb and indifferent to Tetsurou's touch and starts to want him for real. It's good, so good, and it almost feels like he's drowning.

He wants it to last forever.

Kenma is hopelessly in love.

 

"I'm sorry," Kenma's father says to him. Kenma is filled with cold dread.

"What is it, father," Kenma demands more than asks.

"I did not think you would fall in love so easily, but it seems I have misjudged your character. For that, I apologize."

"Father."

"You are to be in an arranged marriage soon. You must understand that I did not mean for this all to happen. I merely wanted you to experience life like a healthy young man before you were married to someone you might not love."

Kenma squeezes his eyes shut.

"I did not expect this, either," Kenma says softly.

There is a pause. "The other party does not yet know of this arrangement."

Kenma and his father sit in a somber silence. Kenma listens to his father's quiet apologies for an hour. When he walks out the door, his hopes disappear with him.

 

Kenma tells Tetsurou that he will be in an arranged marriage soon. Tetsurou holds him tight and close to his heart.

"Keep me like this until then," Kenma pleads.

Tetsurou murmurs his assent.

 

A surprisingly long time passes before the subject of Kenma's arranged marriage is brought up again.

"You will meet your future spouse tomorrow," his father tells him. Kenma feels numb. Kenma feels heavy and tired and upset. He feels like he's been doused in cold water.

Kenma tells Tetsurou about the news, and Tetsurou buries his face into Kenma.

"I love you," Tetsurou mumbles into Kenma's neck. Kenma huffs against him.

"You can't. You--shouldn't," Kenma insists, but he sighs and relaxes into Tetsurou's embrace.

"I know. Trust me, I know. But I--but I do."

"I love you too," Kenma says after a beat. He screws his eyes shut and tries not to think about how this might be the last time he'll be with Tetsurou like this.

Tetsurou loves him until the morning arrives.

 

Kenma dresses in a fine sokutai and sits formally next to his father. He keeps his head down and wills himself not to cry.

"Son," his father says. "Your future spouse is someone within our kingdom. You are the youngest son, so instead of being married to an external kingdom as an alliance, you will ensure the allegiance of this member of the palace."

Kenma continues to look down.

"Kenma," a voice says softly. "Please look at me."

Kenma's head snaps up. Tetsurou looks at him with adoring eyes. 

"Tetsurou," he breathes. Kenma's father leaves the room.

"I'm so sorry," Tetsurou rambles. "I meant to see you earlier--as soon as your father spoke to me of the arrangement--but I was told to immediately go to this room."

"It's okay," Kenma hums. "It's okay."

Tetsurou holds him. He is warm and loving and soft. He is gentle and caring. 

For the first time, Kenma really, truly allows himself to drink it all in.

**Author's Note:**

> idk how traditional japanese clothing and stuff works so if i got something wrong let me know
> 
> aaaAAAHHHH i forgot to add my tumblr!!! i'm [here](http://pastelvolleyballs.tumblr.com/)


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